(Paul Dean. File photo.)
The Tory opposition is demanding the government tackle the severe shortage of nurses, particularly in long-term care facilities.
Health critic Paul Dean says the party’s recent access to information request reveals staffing levels are critically low.
That, Dean says, leads to more empty hospital beds.
Specifically, he noted that the access request revealed 93 vacant beds at four facilities in St. John’s, with over 160 open positions.
Across the province, there are approximately 600 vacancies and another 900 nurses eligible for retirement.
Dean also referred to recent comments by nurses union president Yvette Coffey, who noted a large disparity between the number of nurses retiring and those graduating from nursing school.
He is urging the provincial government to address the shortage of nurses as quickly as possible, as well as other frontline health professions.
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